Practice Management Alert

Question: What’s the best way to get the waiting room furniture clean without spreading germs around? I know we have a custodial staff, but once a day — at night — doesn’t seem like enough to stem the germ flow. As front-desk staff, I watch people cough and sneeze into their hands all day and then either I or my colleague are responsible for tidying up the magazines they were inevitably touching.

Rhode Island Subscriber

Answer: You’ve probably heard about the kitchen sponge being the dirtiest thing in a house, so it makes sense to wonder whether the tools that are supposed to be for cleaning can actually make things even worse. Some cleaning methods can actually spread bacteria around, including a regular rag and bucket. If you or a team member are just wetting the rag in the same bucket that you’ve been using to wipe down the whole waiting room, you’re just putting the germs from one chair onto another.

If you or a team member relies on a cloth to clean furniture, try the eight-fold system, suggests Kaivac Inc. Before you start cleaning, fold a square rag twice, and then use a different, unused section or “square” for every surface. That way, you can clean multiple surfaces without drastically changing your cleaning tools or methods — or spreading germs from surface to surface.